1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sport board accessories and more particularly to devices to maintain contact between a sport board and a rider's feet during spirited maneuvers.
2. Related Art
Riding and controlling a sport board such as a surfboard or skateboard requires that a rider's feet maintain contact and traction with the board. In the case of surfboards, this need for traction is significant as the board, whose upper surface is often constructed of smooth fiberglass, is wet and the rider, at least in warmer water, is often barefoot. Further, aerial maneuvers and stunts, commonly called “aerials,” are becoming increasingly popular in board sports. These aerial maneuvers often result in the board leaving the rider's feet in mid-air. In these instances, the board and rider will likely land separately, greatly increasing the risk of injury to the rider through impact with the water or ground, or a collision with the now-uncontrolled board. In the case of surfing, special difficulties are presented as when a surfboard becomes airborne, its large, relatively flat surface is prone to being carried away from the rider by even a slight wind. There is a basic need in board sports, therefore, for devices to aid in rider traction. Further, when a board is used for aerial maneuvers, there is a great need for devices to maintain contact between the airborne board and the rider's feet.
The prior art attempts to solve traction problems do not address the problem of maintaining contact between an airborne board and the rider's feet. The typical traction devices are essentially adhesively-backed Ethyl Vinyl Acetate (EVA) foam sheets. The lower, adhesive surface of the EVA foam sheet is affixed to a location on the surfboard where the rider expects to place a foot. The upper surface of the EVA foam sheet is often textured to provide traction when wet. Many examples of these prior art EVA sheets are commercially available in varying shapes, thicknesses, and configurations. However, when a surfboard becomes airborne, an EVA foam sheet does not address the problem of maintaining contact between the board and the rider's feet. In skateboarding, adhesively-backed “grip tape” is analogous to the EVA foam sheets used in surfing. The lower surface of the grip tape is affixed to a desired location on the skateboard, while the upper surface is textured to provide traction with the rider's feet. This grip tape, however, does not maintain contact with the rider's feet when a skateboarder is performing aerial stunts.
Another example of prior art used to maintain traction with surf boards is surf wax. Surfers often apply a layer of slightly tacky wax to their boards to prevent their feet from slipping on the smooth fiberglass surface of the board. As with the EVA foam sheets, however, this wax layer does not provide sufficient traction to prevent a rider's feet from leaving an airborne board.
There have been prior art attempts to maintain contact between an airborne surfboard and a rider's feet. However, these attempts have introduced other shortcomings that far outweigh any benefit gained by an increased ability to maintain contact. For example, footstraps similar to those used on windsurfing boards have been used in an attempt to maintain contact between the rider's feet and the airborne board. While a windsurfer has a fairly unlimited amount of time to ensure the proper foot positioning on the board before sailing away, a surfer has only seconds to pop-up from paddling in a prone position to a standing position when catching a wave. In this short timeframe, it is exceptionally difficult for the surfer to ensure that one or both feet are properly positioned under the prior art straps on the board. Assuming the surfer is able to position one or both feet under the footstraps, these straps dangerously bind the surfer to the board when the surfer falls or the board hits the beach, submerged rocks or other obstacles. If the surfer falls with one or both feet in the footstraps, the surfboard may capsize, holding the surfer underwater until the surfer can free his feet from the footstraps. Further, as the surfer is falling or when he impacts the surface of the water, he may injure his knees or ankles since his feet are being restrained by the footstraps. Likewise, a skateboarder whose feet are strapped to a skateboard has an increased risk for knee and ankle injuries when falling as the board may contort the skateboarder's legs during a fall. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system to maintain contact between an airborne board and a rider's feet that allows the rider to stand up on the board quickly and also releases the rider's feet from the board if the rider should fall.